The Interrelationship of Tinnitus and Hearing Loss Secondary to Age, Noise Exposure, and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Royce Ellen Clifford, Allen F Ryan
PMID 35612496WHAT IT FOUND
Hearing loss is the strongest risk factor for tinnitus, increasing risk 4.15 times.
Tinnitus often precedes measurable hearing loss, suggesting it may be an early warning sign. Veterans over 40 with tinnitus have an 80% likelihood of developing hearing difficulties.
Key findings
01Hearing loss carries the highest relative risk for tinnitus (4.15 times), surpassing risks from traumatic brain injury (1.81 times) or combat noise exposure.
02Tinnitus frequently precedes the onset of hearing loss; in 26.1% of cases with both, tinnitus appeared first, compared to 25% where hearing loss appeared first.
03Males over 40 with tinnitus have a 68.9% incidence of developing hearing loss within 10 years, compared to 48.4% for females over 40.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The definition of hearing loss varied, including self-report, pure-tone averages, and medical diagnosis, which may affect consistency. Tinnitus and hearing loss were largely self-reported or based on medical records, introducing potential reporting bias. The study population was exclusively Veterans, which may limit generalizability to the civilian population due to specific exposure histories. Changes in VA disability reporting requirements in 2006 may have influenced the prevalence of reported tinnitus. The study could not verify diagnoses prior to 1992, and records outside the military were inaccessible.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a normal audiogram rules out hearing issues in patients with tinnitus. The study found that tinnitus often precedes measurable hearing loss, and while audiogram differences were small, they were consistent. A patient with tinnitus may be at high risk for developing hearing loss, especially if they are over 40 or have a history of TBI.